1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the field of therapeutic treatment of headaches and sinus related ailments, such as headaches, congestion and pressure as well as withdrawal due to drug dependency. The invention provides a method and device which are found to be very useful in treating and relieving one suffering from a headache, sinus congestion and pressure as well as withdrawal due to drug dependency by way of vibrational therapy.
2. Related Art
Presently, there exist many of treatments for sinus headaches, sinus congestion and pressure as well as withdrawal due to drug dependency. Many of these treatments utilize drugs such as conventional analgesics, (an aspirin or low dosage of an addict drug, e.g., nicotine). While medicinal remedies have proven effective, they are required to be taken internally and is consequently a drug which is less desirable than natural or holistic approaches to treating such ailments.
Millions of persons seek medical help for headaches due to sinus problems and billions of dollars are spent on headache remedies annually. There exist many treatments for headaches. For example, the Chinese used acupuncture to relieve head pain. The ancient Greeks and Romans used cathartics and bloodletting to treat headaches. The pre-Columbian Incas of Peru drilled holes in the skull to release the evil spirits that they believed to be at the root of the problem. Today a headache is mostly treated with a wide variety of drugs and behavior modification techniques.
Headache pain results from the stimulation of such pain-sensitive structures as the membranous linings of the brain (the meninges) and the nerves of the cranium and upper neck. This stimulation can be produced by inflammation, by the dilation of blood vessels of the head, or by sustained muscle contractions in the neck and head. Headaches brought on by muscle spasms are classified as tension-type headaches; those caused by the dilation of blood vessels are called vascular headaches. A more specialized classification, by the International Headache Society, further divides headaches into 14 categories for research purposes.
A small percent of all headaches result from organic disorders, including diseases of the eye, ear, nose, throat, and sinuses; brain tumors; and aneurism (the ballooning of an artery, brought about by a weakness in the arterial wall). The most common form of a headache is the tension-type headache, which can be divided into two categories--episodic and chronic. People rarely visit physicians because of tension headaches.
Sinus cavities within the head are mucus-lined air cavities in facial bones and certain blood passageways. In humans, sinuses surround the nose and referred to as the paranasal sinuses. They extend from the nasal cavities into adjoining bones and are connected to the nose by passageways. The bones that contain sinuses are the frontal, sphenoid, ethmoid, and maxillary bones.
Vascular headaches are probably the most severe form and are the most frequent reason cited for patients visiting a physician with the primary complaint of a headache. Vascular headaches include migraine, cluster, and hypertensive headaches. Chronic sinus problems rarely cause headaches, although these are frequently cited in the media as a major headache trigger. Acute sinusitis, with an accompanying fever, can precipitate a headache, and the underlying infection must be treated to relieve the symptom.
Tension-type headaches can be subdivided into episodic and chronic. Episodic is recurrent and mild and commonly relieved by over-the-counter analgesics. Chronic forms may continue for many years and do not respond to simple analgesics. Chronic tension-type headaches may be due to inherent anxiety or depression. Patients with chronic daily headaches have an increased potential for habituation to analgesics, whether prescription or over-the-counter. Some of these cases have to be treated through psychotherapy.
The two most common types of a vascular headache are migraine and cluster headaches for which there is no known cure. Migraine therapy can be divided into four categories: general measures, abortive therapy, prophylactic therapy, and pain relief. General measures include identifying and avoiding triggers (such as the food items listed previously), relaxation techniques, and biofeedback. A variety of drugs are used to diminish or eliminate the migraine including ergot preparations, isometheptene mucate, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and Dihydroergotamine (DHE), a derivative of ergotamine. Research has implicated the neurotransmitter called serotonin in the development of migraine.
Cluster headaches known as migrainous neuralgia, Horton's histamine headache, and erythromelalgia of the head, produce short, severe attacks of pain centered over one eye. It is suspected that cluster headaches may be caused by a disorder in histamine metabolism, since they are usually accompanied by allergy symptoms such as tearing, nasal congestion, and a runny nose.
Still, with all the treatments available, there is a need for a more holistic non drug approach which is also effective and relatively low cost. The present invention provides such a treatment.